Portable drier



Feb. 13, 1951 B. CAMPBELL 2,541,332

PORTABLE DRIER Filed Nov. 5, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 13, 1951 B. CAMPBELL 2,541,332

PORTABLE DRIER Filed Nov. 5, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. Bo w en @a 279025622.

Patented Feb. 13, 1.9514

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE DRIER Bowen Campbell, Des Moines,- Iowav Application November 5, 1947, Serial No. 784,153

Y 9 Claims. l

This invention relates to a portable .dryer for use about the farm for the purpose of drying grain, hay, tobacco, etc. or any commodity that requires a blast of heatedair to effect the drying operation.

One object of the invention is tof provide a dryer in the form of a unit including an oil burning combustion chamber and a blower mounted on skids or the like for portability, the blower being adapted to discharge heated air into a corn crib or other structure for drying the grain or any commodity stored'therein.

Another object is to provide a dryer which is compact and requires a minimum of operating parts, a single blower being providedV for both forcing air to the combustion chamber and discharging heated air from the dryer t'o any desired point where the air is to be used.

Still another object is to provide a dryer wherein a cone-shaped combustion chamber is provided for maximum efficiency for either a high llame or a low llameY and is contained in-an'intake housing for a blower', the blower itself having a housing providedwith a discharge portion for discharging heatedair to the building or other structure in which the air is to bek used'for drying grain and the like is forced.

A further object is to provide outlets from the blower housing and leading to thev combustion chamber for supplying the oxygen necessary tov support combustion therein, the arrangementbe# ing such that substantially complete combustion is had under all conditions of adjustment and the apparatus being capable of supplying heated' air for drying purposes in either small or large' volume as desired.

Still a'further object is-to providea combustion chamber into which a plurality of oil atomizing nozzles discharge so that one or more ofthe nozzles may be used as desiredV or required, a cone shaped combustion chamber being provided tok substantially t the flame regardless of the' number of nozzles used and a baille disc arrangement being provided in conjunction with the combustion chamber for facilitating theU adjust vment of the chamber for most eilicient operation for all sizes of llames.

An additional object is to provide a blower housing with an intake housing thereadjacent and receiving air to deliver to a blower in theA blower housing, the air beingV received in the intake chamber around the periphery of'a coneshaped' combustion chambery therein so that the air mixes with heated gases from the combustion chamber in an el'ective'manner for sulclstanti'allyY and combination of the various parts of my portable dryer whereby' the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth',

' pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View through a portable dryer embodying kmy invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontalsectional'View thereof as taken'on the line 2-21ofFigure 1.

Figure'3 is an end view of the left hand end of Figure 1.

Figurel isa similar end view of the right hand end of Figure 1, a portion ofthe blower housing being broken away to illustrate parts in section and internaldetails.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 5 5 of Figure 1 showing a baille cone arrangee ment in relation to the combustion chamber and intake ,housing for the blower.

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 6'-;6 of Figure 1, showing the intake of air to the combustion'chamber.

Figure '7 is a sectional view on the line 'l-l of Figure 6 vshowing further details of the combustion chamber and burner arrangement, and

Figure 8 is an Aend view of the blower rotor looking toward' the rightv in Figure l.

On the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral li) to indicate a base plate formed of 'sheet metal or the like andv supported on skids l2. Extending up from the base plate il? is a cylindrical housing lI4 having ends I6 and i8 and apartition 20.'. The elements i6 and 2li' are of sheet metalV andthe elementI I8 is formed of perforated material such as one-quarter inch hardware cloth.

The elements I Il, |6` and 2G form a blower housingl and the elements i4; I8 and'illcooperate toform a blower intake housing. The spaces in the respective housings are indicated as a blower housing` space 22' and a blower intakel housing space 24' for conveniencen reference -thereto in the following description. s

W'ithin the blower housing 22, a blower is providedin the form of adisc 2t having inclined blades 28 projectingfom one face thereof and tied together by means'of a cone section 36 'terminating in a cylindrical ring 32. The ring. 32surrounds a ring which is' part of a cone'', the

cone 3l 'in' turn deflning'an intake opening for` the blower in the' partition 2G: Thus'a'ir may enter through the screen i8 as indicated by the arrow A in Figure 1 and flow as indicated by the arrows B and C through the blower, intake housing 213 and into the blower housing 22. The air is then discharged as indicated by the arrow D from an open side of the housing 22 which side forms an outlet indicated at Sii in Figures 2, 4 and 5.

The wall it includes a cone-shaped portion 36 terminating in a wall 38 through which the blower shaft lo extends. This shaft is journalled in bearings i2 and Lili supported on a cross bar d5 and a bracket 48, respectively. The inner end of the shaft is keyed to a hub Eil secured to the blower disc 25 and reinforced by a center cone 52.

The shaft may be driven by means of pulleys 54 and 5t and a plurality of V belts 53. The pulley 56 is secured to the shaft of a motor SQ.

Within the blower intake housing 25 I provide a cone-shaped combustion chamber 52 and an annular ring-shaped portion Eli, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear. The entire assembly is welded together for rigid connection of the parts with each other. The outer end of the combustion chamber 82 is provided with a cone-shaped extension 68 terminating in a reversed cone i. The extension 68 is connected by a plurality of air turning vanes 'i2 with a disc 'i4 which in turn has a cylinder 'i6 connected with its periphery and with the cone C52, connection of the parts together being by welding.

The elements 'Hl and 'a5 constitute an air receiving chamber which receives air from a pair of conduits 'i8 entering the chamber tangentially after extending from the partition 2B and through the screen i8. Air is thus forced from the pressure side of blower housing 22 through the conduits 'i8 into the chamber 'i4- 15. This air then flows through the turning vanes 'i2 which in addition to the tangential arrangement of the conduits 58 produce a fast whirling action of the air for thorough mixture of the air with atomized fuel such as oil or the like. IThe oil just referred to is sprayed into the cone S2 by means of spray nozzles 35 connected by valves 82 to a manifold `8d. An oil supply pipe 86 connects with the manifold tiliand supplies oil under pressure thereto.

The nozzles 8i) are supported by a head 88 inside a nozzle hood comprising a cylindrical element il@ and a pair of cone elements 92 and S. The element se is provided with openings 95, and primary air for supporting combustion flows into the cylinder So through the cones 92 and Eiland through the openings et to mix with the atomized oil from the nozzles Si?. The cones 92 and 94 deflect this air inwardly to cause better mixing and this air together with the atomized oil is then mixed by the whirling air deflected inwardly by the cone T and whirled by the vanes '12. The final result is excellent combustion within the combustion cone 62.

The combustion chamber 62 being cone shaped has a tendency to t the iiame regardless of its size. A baiiie i8@ is provided which is preferably cone-shaped and formed of stainless steel to withstand the heat of the name. The baiiie it@ is supported by a post &2 having a cross member IGA at its lower end, the purpose of which is to guide the baiiie and support it in the desired position. Cooperating in the support of the post is a rod it@ with which is connected a control rod |98 terminating in an eye li serving as a handle for the purpose of sliding the cone Iii@ between the positions shown in Figures 1 and 2. For a small flame the baffle disc I9@ works best 4 when adjusted as to the position of Figure 1 whereas for a larger flame adjustment to the position of Figure 2 is more efficient. The baiiie Iii@ need not necessarily be cone-shaped as it will perform its function if ilat though possibly not as eiciently.

The nozzles Si! may have diiferent capacities and may be supplied with oil in various combinations to secure different sized llames. By way of example three nozzles may be used having capacities of 2, 3 and 4 gallons per hour. Thus singly and in combination, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 G. P. H. may be secured. Instead of the valves 32, solenoid valves may be used and thermostatically controlled if automatic operation is desired.

Practical operation In the operation of my portable dryer, the apparatus may be dragged by means of horses or a tractor to the desired position in respect to a corn crib or the like and the outlet S4 either positioned against the corn crib to register with an opening thereof or a suitable conduit may con# nect the dryer to the crib. Such a conduit for instance may be made of canvas or the like.

One of the nozzles is supplied with oil after the motor 5i) is energized to supply the necessary oxygen to support combustion and other nozzles may be ignited from the first one if desired. The cone I is adjusted for the size iiame produced which of course depends on the temperature required for the particular drying job to be done. Fresh air is drawn in as indicated by the arrow A through the screen IS and mixes with the products of combustion from the combustion cone 62 before entering the cone 3'! and the blower.

The annular ring 64 causes the flame to travel as indicated by the arrows E to mix with the secondary air indicated by the arrow A. This breaks up the stream-line flow of the combustion gases and causes them to curl around the edge of the annular ring as indicated by the arrow E with the secondary air curling around the edge of the combustion chamber as indicated by the arrow A to thoroughly intermix with the combustion gases. If the gases and the air were permitted to maintain a stream-line passage through the dryer they might not get mixed before cooling below their combustion temperature. The mixed air and combustion gases then iiow through the blower as indicated by the arrows C and are discharged at D.

The heated air is discharged into the corn crib or other structure where the material to be dried is stored and the drying operation is continued as long as desired. The degree of heat can be changed as drying progresses by altering the number of nozzles if that is desirable or necessary.

The portable dryer disclosed is relatively compact by having a single blower supply combustion air as well as discharge heated air for drying purposes. By having the combustion chamber contained in an intake chamber into which fresh air enters, an efficient mixing action is had and the entire structure is enclosed as a unit in a relatively small cylindrical casing. The resulting structure is readily portable and can be quickly hooked up with various buildings or other struc-Y temperatures to suit the various commodities likely to be found about a farm or the like, which require drying to properly/ condition them` for storage'or use. 'IlneV apparatus is easily fabricated, mostly from sheet metal on circular shears, the design of the blowerhousing being such as to permit of a circular outline yet increasing volume of housing space about the blower wheel as the discharge opening is approached. This is accomplished by'setting thevblower Wheel off-center in the blower housing.

In respect to emcient combustion it will be noted that the housing 15 receiving primary air for combustion'surrounds the combustion chamber 62 and therefore receives heat from the combustion chamber to preheat the' air before it mixes with the flame. This feature aids in the efficient combustion of the fuel mixture.

Some changes may be made, in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing fromthe real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a dryer of the character disclosed, a housing, a partition in said housing dividing it into a blower housing and a blower intake housing having an open end, a blower in said blower housing having an intake opening and a constricting cone leading thereto, an outlet therefrom for supplying heated air, a cone shaped combustion chamber having its large end projecting into said blower intake housing, said combustion chamber having a smaller diameter than said intake housing whereby air may enter the open end of said intake housing around the combustion chamber and mix with the products of combustion therefrom within said intake housing before entering said blower, such air being deflected outwardly by said cone-shaped combustion chamber and returned inwardly to enter said constricting cone, atomizing nozzles for fuel adjacent the small end of said combustion chamber and discharging thereinto, means for supplying auxiliary combustion air to said nozzles comprising conduits leading from said blower housing and through said blower intake housing, and turning vanes for whirling the air from said means before it reaches said nozzles.

2. In a portable dryer, a housing open at one end, a partition in said housing dividing it into a blower housing and a blower intake housing, a blower in said blower housing, a heated air outlet therefrom, a cone-shaped combustion chamber projecting into said blower intake housing, said combustion chamber being smaller in diameter than said intake housing whereby air may enter said open end of said housing around said combustion chamber, a, fuel nozzle for said combustion chamber and a baflie in said combustion 'chamber adjustable toward and away from said nozzle, said combustion chamber having a, cylindrical portion therein to deflect the flame toward the center and permit it to expand when leaving said combustion chamber and mix with air entering said intake housing, said baiiie comprising a cone shaped element with its apex opposite the apex of said cone-shaped combustion chamber and having a diameter somewhat smaller than said cylindrical portion so that the baffle may be adjusted to a position therein with space around the baffle for ow of the gases of combustion.

3. In a portable dryer, a housing open at one end, a partition in said housing dividing it into a blower housing and a blower intake housing, a

blower in said blower housing,4 any outlet'. there.-

from, a cone-shaped combustion chamber pro;- jecting into said blower intake housing, saidcombustion chamber being smaller than said intake housing whereby air may enter said intake housing around the combustionV chamber, atomizing.

.blower receiving air from around said combustion chamber and receiving the products of combustion from the combustion chamber, and means for supplying air and fuel to said combustion chamber, the air supplying means comprising a conduit from the pressure side of said blower to the small end of said cone-shaped combustion chamber where said nozzles are located, and turning vanes for whirling the air from said conduit before it reaches the fuel in said combustion chamber.

5. In a dryer for grain and the like, a housing, a partition therein, a blower on one side of said partition and a combustion chamber on the other side thereof, said blower receiving the combustion gases from said combustion chamber and receiving air from around the combustion chamber, means for supplying air and fuel to said combustion chamber, the air supplying means comprising a conduit from the pressure side of said blower to said combustion chamber, and turning vanes for whirling the air before it enters the combustion chamber.

6. In a dryer, a housing, a partition therein, a blower on one side of said partition and a coneshaped combustion chamber on the other side of said partition, means for supplying air and fuel to said combustion chamber, the air supplying means comprising a conduit from the pressure side of said blower to the small end of said coneshaped combustion chamber where said nozzles are located, and turning varies for whirling the air from said air supplying mean 7. In a portable dryer, a housing open at one end, a partition in said housing dividing it into a blower housing at the closed end and a blower intake housing at the open end, a blower in said .blower housing, an outlet therefrom for supplying heater air, a combustion chamber projecting into said blower intake housing, said combustion chamber discharging its gases of combustion into said intake housing to mix with air entering said intake housing through said open end, said combustion chamber being supplied with combustion air from said blower housing and having an outer casing receiving such air before it enters the combustion chamber, said housing serving to preheat the air by receiving heat from said combustion chamber.

8. In a dryer of the character disclosed, a housing, a partition therein, a blower on one side of said partition and a cone-shaped combustion chamber on the other side of said partition, said blower receivingv air from around said combustion chamber and receiving the products of combustion from the combustion chamber, and means for supplying air and fuel to said combustion chamber, the air supplying means comprising a conduit from the pressure side of said blower to the small end of said cone-shaped combustion f chamber where said nozzles are located, a housing surrounding said combustion chamber to receive the air from said conduit and preheat the same by absorbing heat from said combustion chamber, and turning varies within said housing for whirling the air before it reaches the fuel in said combustion chamber.

9. In a dryer of the character disclosed, a substantially circular housing having a discharge outlet at one side, a partition in said housing, a blower on one side of said partition and having its axis of rotation off center relative to the center of said housing for providing a passageway surrounding the blower which increases in cross section as said discharge outlet is approached, a cone-shaped combustion chamber on the other side of said partition, said blower receiving air from around said combustion chamber and receiving the products of combustion from the cornbustion chamber, and means for supplying air and fuel to said combustion chamber.

BOWEN CAMPBELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this :patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

